Category Archives for "Featured"

The more people you follow, the denser your Twitter home feed becomes. You may lose perspective when your feed is flooded with multiple random posts.

Separate all those voices into logical groups so you can focus on 1 theme at a time. Use the built-in Twitter lists, which can be public or private. You’ll be surprised how the smaller groups will help you gain clarity and have a better idea what to support that group, join the conversations, and post relevant content.

For example: If you view a feed of only local authors, and many tweet and converse about a writing event in town, isn’t that an event you should inquire about and join this conversation?

1) Create Lists

Read through your feed and find those you are most interested in watching. Create lists for your many groups.

Here is a suggested author’s starter-list:

FamilyFriends

Work/Co-workers

[My city]

Local authors

[Same genre] authors

Top [genre] authors

Author Support

Publishing

Bloggers

Top idea generators

Social Media gurus

Assign people you are interested in following more closely to their Lists. The same person can occupy more than 1 list.

Every time you meet and follow a new person, immediately add them to a Twitter list. If you don’t, you will lose them to the chaotic, overrun, Twitter home feed.

It’s fine to view your Twitter home feed. Also choose

Bonus: You can subscribe to other’s public lists. If a good one already exists you can view it too.

Learn to love lists!

Don’t worry; it is unlikely that you’ll run out of lists. They are currently capped at a limit of 1000, with 5000 tagged in each, but don’t do that. Keep your lists small. If you have too many then you risk repeating the original problem, too many chaotic voices.

For the next few months, we will identify and KILL common Twitter mistakes or clarify Twitter myths.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new and some long-term Twitter users make is when addressing another Twitter user.

If you simply want to shout out to another Twitter user, begin the tweet with their Twitter handle.

@HeyColleague How are you? Are you going to that event tonight?

The only people who will see this tweet is:
• You
• Them (@HeyColleague)
• Anyone who follows you both (at that moment)
• Anyone who happens to look at your posted feed (at that moment)
• Anyone who happens to look at your colleague’s mention feed (at that moment)

If you want to promote another Twitter user to your community then begin the Twitter feed with ANYTHING BUT their Twitter handle.

This is wrong! @HeyColleague is someone you want to follow. They have great Twitter content. #FF

This is right! ‘ @HeyColleague is someone you want to follow. They have great Twitter content. #FF

These are better! #FF @HeyColleague is someone you want to follow. They have great Twitter content. Great Twitter content by @HeyColleague. This is someone you want to follow. #FF Are you following @HeyColleague for great Twitter content? #FF

By not beginning the tweet with their Twitter handle you haven’t limited the number of people seeing your tweet to the list above.